I have been a toy dealer since 2001. If I want to sell new items I have to go through a 3rd party to do it. To be a direct Hasbro dealer, you need a initial purchase of $10,000 or more & every other purchase is a minimum of $5,000. My wholesale price is MORE than what I could buy them at WalMart for. Even with a Credit approval, you first purchase must be paid for in advance. I quit selling new items completely, there is no way to compete with WalMart. No one can complete, not even Target or TRU, they buy less items & are charged more, so they have to charge more. If Hasbro flooded the market with a wave of toys, they are afraid they will sit & not sell through. This has happened with alot of Star Wars figures, who would have thought that Clone Troopers would be peg warmers. Hasbro never releases run counts, I think 150,000 is high. The 25th Joes sold way better than was expected, that is why they are continuing past the original 25 figures that was promised. If figures are "hard to get" then that creates urgency, and people buy then when they see them. If there are 5 of each figure on the pegs, some will wait until next time. Hasbro has a projected profit on a sculpt & releases the number of figures to meet that profit. Remember Hasbro is not in business to make toys, they are in business to make money.

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